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Namibia: New Coach Spells His Vision
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New Era (Windhoek)
8 April 2008
Posted to the web 8 April 2008
Carlos Kambaekwa
Windhoek
The Namibian Rugby fifteen's new mentor John Williams says players must first change their attitude and mindset if they are to restore Namibian rugby back to its glory days.
The 39-year old Johnson played Currie Cup rugby for the Blue Bulls and was also a regular feature in the Springbok A-team as an uncompromising flank during an illustrious career.
"We first need to identify the reasons for the worrisome decline in domestic rugby and take it from there, because from my own experience in South African rugby structures I've come across a good number of Namibian rugby players whose dream is to don Springbok colours.
"That's wrong, the players must aspire to play for their native country, but that pride needs to be gradually instilled in them and must be accompanied by good incentives, that's the bottom line."
Johnson strongly believes Namibia's lack of regular competition has contributed largely to the downward spiral in domestic rugby.
"As a mater of fact, we need to get back into the fold of provincial rugby in South Africa if we are to become a major force to be reckoned with in global rugby."
Johnson, who is still running an eye over a number of locally based players, said that the time has come for Namibian rugby to start introducing new blood into the system, since a good chunk of the current crop are getting a bit long in the tooth.
"That's a gradual process, we need to phase out the older players step by step while nurturing the younger ones and expose them systematically to the rigours of competitive rugby."
The Cape Town born mentor boasts a thorough insight of Namibian rugby through his close links with former Namibian coach Rudy Joubert, whom he assisted at both the South African A-team and the Blue Bulls.
He also coached the Falcons in the Currie Cup competition and won back to back titles in the Provincial Vodacom Cup in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Johnson was on the bench alongside World Cup winning coach Jake White when South Africa won the Under-21 World Cup in 2002 and also had a five-year stint as assistant to Heynecke Meyer with the Blue Bulls.
Meanwhile, the new coach of the Springboks Pieter de Villiers, currently on a short visit to Namibia on the invitation of the NRU, said his door would always remain open for any assistance that Namibian rugby might require from his union.
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"I can't dictate to them (NRU) what they must do to jack up their game - we are waiting for them to tell us where they need our input but rest assured, we will be more than willing to assist Namibian rugby wherever the opportunity arises."
Quizzed about the unending debate of quotas in South African rugby, a clearly irritated de Villiers said:
"I've made it categorically clear that players will be strictly selected on merit and judging by the performance of a significant number of black players in the Super 14 this season, there wont' be any reason in resorting to quotas because players know very well that they have to earn their places on merit."
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